Daily Edit

I’ve got something to admit. I am an online shopping addict. Not so much so that my friends have sent me to seek counsel about it – although I suspect they’ve been close to it a few times… but enough that I am constantly shocked when my bank statement comes in and I take a look at my weekly outgoings. And let me tell you – that money ain’t being spent on food. In fact, give me bread and water for a week if it means I can get myself a new bikini or a pair of high-waisted jeans with that perfect little rip at the knee (anyone who thinks you can have too many of these items is seriously mistaken).

I’ve also witnessed first hand that I most certainly am not alone in my addiction. Up until a year ago, I was working in an office full of girls. The room was literally brimming with estrogen. And what came along with a side of estrogen? Online shopping. And lots of it. Yep, the e-tail industry is alive and kicking.

As I was often one of the first to arrive in the morning (what can I say, I kinda enjoyed the peace and quiet before the 9am rush) – I would spend the initial 5 minutes walking around to different desks to deliver various parcels that had arrived throughout the night. Like a kid at Christmas, I would give the package a little gentle shake to confirm that ‘yessss’ it was indeed clothing – and then I’d accost my colleagues on arrival with gentle suggestions to open their packages immediately and obvs show me their shopping. Did I mention I’m an addict?

But while I miss those days of sharing in the delights of a daily online parcel arrival, of people asking me “Should I buy this” and me answering without blinking “Yes, yes, yes!!” – the silver lining of this all is that now when the doorbell rings with the familiar glimpse of a heart-warming bright yellow two-piece with a flash of red that can only belong to a DHL man, I know that delivery is going to be just for me. And if I hadn’t bought five things that week – I’d even know exactly what it was that was being delivered…

But are you reading this horrified? Thinking that maybe my friends should, in fact, have sent me to counselling? Or are you like me – and perfectly content with the knowledge that you’re not perfect? That a full wardrobe is a full heart?

We understand that everyone is different when it comes to online shopping habits, so below – we’ve decided to take a look at some of the distinct categories when it comes to retail exploring. Which type do you belong to?!

 

The hardcore shopper…

You wake up in the morning thinking about online shopping. Lie in bed scrolling through a few stores on your phone and filling up your cart. You go get your morning coffee – and waste time aimlessly flicking through your favourite sites to see if anything new has arrived overnight. At work, you’ve always got a couple of tabs open of items you’re hoping to purchase. Night time, sweet night time – multiple hours of undisturbed browsing. The best!

 

The Thursday night shopper…

Some people do Thursday night tanning, some people do Thursday night shopping (I’ll let you take one guess which basket I fall into). With the weekend almost here, you’re joining the thousands of girls across the country who are logging on and finding something shiny and new to get them looking damn fine till Monday.

 

The special occasion shopper…

Eeeek – it’s almost time for the races/a bday/wedding/night out with the gals and you have NOTHING to wear and no time to get to the shops. How can you have so many clothes and they all be rubbish? A spot of online shopping it is…

 

The social media shopper…

You’re just taking a casual scroll through your feed – and then you spot it. The most heavenly jacket/jeans/dress/shoes/top/bag you’ve ever lied eyes on. Please have tagged where it’s from. Oh sweet, sweet tagging. You jump across to their account and hit that website link. It’s a no-brainer.

 

The distractor shopper…

You know you should be working. You really have got some serious deadlines to attend – but that sale email just arrived in your inbox, and if you don’t jump on the site straight away – everything good might be taken. A quick browse won’t hurt anybody. That deadline can wait just a few minutes…

 

The savvy shopper…

You like to hunt around for a bargain. You’ve tried the item on in-store – liked it, and are now heading online to find out who is offering it for the best price. Pennywise we call you.

 

Words by Yelena Fairfax.